President Jokowi Receives Social Forestry Actors at Merdeka Palace

President Jokowi receives several social forestry actors at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (01/31). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/Rusman)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Tuesday (01/31) at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, received social forestry actors, among others, the Social Forestry Movement (GEMA), the Indonesian Social Forestry Management Association (AP2SI), the Rejo Semut Ireng Association, the Village Corner Forum, and the Volunteer Alliance for Nature Conservation.

On that occasion, social forestry actors expressed appreciation to the President for significant impacts local farmers have felt thanks to the social forestry program.

According to the Social Forestry Movement representative Prof. San Afri Awang, farmers who are engaged in the program could develop more land areas based on research conducted in several regions.

“The village farmers only used 830 square-meter plots of land prior to the social forestry program. But through the program, they can expand 10-fold land ownership to 8,400 square meters on average. It also increases the farmers’ income,” Prof. San Afri Awang said.

Prof. San Afri Awang also cited an example that farmers’ income average increased three folds from Rp1 million per month to Rp3 million per month based on research conducted in Pati regency, Central Java province.

“Related to farmers’ income in several regions, there was a three-fold increase in the income of the social forestry program participants, higher than that of the income before the program. This is incredible. This is real work initiated by the people themselves under the Government’s policy so social capital can be provided to increase their income,” he explained.

During the meeting, the social forestry actors also submitted a number of proposals, including proposals related to the completion of the delayed social forestry decrees.

“The President will follow up on several proposals. It includes those delayed decrees regarding social forestry permits. The President will complete them within a month,” he added.

In the meantime, another representative from the Social Forestry Movement Siti Fikriyah Khuriyati expressed hope that all social forestry decrees in the island of Java can be completed by the end of 2024, considering that the land area is not too large. After that, said Siti, then the Government will arrange those outside the island of Java.

Once the land area in the island of Java Island is completed, she said, the Government may arrange those areas outside the island of Java.

“If possible, everything should be finished before 2024. After that, land areas outside the island of Java can be arranged immediately so that we do not have to wait until 2030 for the 12.7 million hectares to be completed. We want 12.7 million hectares to be completed under the administration of President Jokowi, at least by 2024. That will be an extraordinary legacy,” Siti remarked. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat/AIT) (RIF/MUR)